Guessing Game
by Expendable Red Shirt
Summary: In which Chihiro guesses incorrectly in regards to her pigified parents, and Yubaba might have a heart after all.


Yubaba was sick with worry. Her poor baby! He was who-knows-where with her horrible sister Zeniba. He could be hurt and cold and lost. Or worse—Zeniba could've cast some horrible spell on him, turned him into… oh, maybe a _rat _or something equally disgusting. Yubaba shivered at the very thought. Oh, she hoped her baby was okay!

"Can you hear me, sweetie?" she asked the air, though she knew (and would never admit) she was being stupid. "Mommy will make sure you're alright. I promise. Don't be hurt sweetie…." She had sent a suspiciously outspoken and brazen Haku out already to go find him. In return for… Sen's freedom….

_Sen_. This was all _her_ fault.

Just like it was her fault that the bathhouse had nearly been destroyed by that horrible monster. After all, she had been the one to let No Face in, in the first place. And that had distracted Yubaba so much that she hadn't noticed when her own baby had been replaced. Then again, Sen had done a great job with that river spirit, and had earned Yubaba _so –_ _much –_ _money_. And on her first day, no less.

Though Yubaba would never admit it, she was a little impressed by the girl's accomplishments, and by the girl herself. Every time she made a mess of things – which was aggravatingly often – she somehow managed to turn it around so that all the odds were in her favor. It was both immensely annoying and incredibly surreal at the same time.

It was almost awe-inspiring to watch the inherent ability Sen had to twist fate and make it end up how she wanted it. It reminded Yubaba of… herself, except less cruel. Cunning? Yes. Cold-hearted and greedy? No. But even if the circumstances weren't ideal, Sen always came out on top.

Take her whole stay in the spirit world thus far, for example. When she had arrived, nearly everyone was against her – except Haku, who seemed to love her and be on her side from the beginning for some inexplicable reason. Yubaba had been looking forward to watching her suffer. But Sen had made friends with nearly every person, spirit, or monster she came across – even Yubaba warmed up to the girl a bit – and soon even those who were against her from the very beginning were on her side, rooting for her to succeed.

Yubaba had to admire that. It was a quality a person was either born with or simply went without.

Also, Yubaba felt some empathy. Sen was extremely brave, facing everything thrown her way with insurmountable energy all the while dealing with the constant nagging possibility of her parents being slaughtered and eaten for dinner. Yubaba and her sister had faced something similar to what Sen was facing now when they were younger. Zeniba had dealt with it better, much like the way Sen was doing. But it had hardened Yubaba, until she became the obnoxious old witch she was today.

It was rare that anyone could make Yubaba second-guess her first opinion on them. That Sen… she was sure something.

Still, this was Yubaba we're talking about. And no matter how impressed she was with Sen's brave and dutiful actions, she was still going to put her to the test. So when Sen showed up with Haku and Yubaba's poor baby—who had in fact, to her horror, been turned into a rat, but was able to change back, thank goodness—she had already prepared the two lines of pigs for Sen to guess from. No one, absolutely no one, knew the correct answer, except for Yubaba herself.

As Sen readied herself to guess, Yubaba found herself thinking about what it was like to grow up knowing you were the main factor in the demise of your parents. Did Yubaba have the heart, or lack thereof, to do that to a poor, helpless ten-year-old little girl? Had you asked her just a few days ago, before she met Sen, she would've said that of course she could, and that she would do it with a cruel smile and a cackle, too. But now….

Well, now she wasn't so sure.

"There must be a mistake." Sen's high-pitched voice broke through Yubaba's thoughts. "None of these pigs are my mom or dad."

"None of them? Is that _really_ your answer?"

Sen hesitated, then nodded her head. The contract dissolved into dust in Yubaba's hand, and was blown away in the wind. The pigs all turned into workers of the bathhouse as people cheered victoriously for the girl they had all, by the end, wanted to win. The sentiment was unanimous: _'Ha! Take that, Yubaba, you old witch!' _

If only they knew.

In all the excitement, nobody noticed two of the pigs simply disappear into thin air.

Because Sen – no, Chihiro, she was Chihiro again – Chihiro had been wrong. Her parents had been there. They were the two pigs at the end of the first line. She hadn't guessed correctly when she said none of the pigs presented were her parents. But Yubaba had acted as if the girl was right, anyway.

Because, at the last second, Yubaba had decided that she couldn't do it. That, no matter how much she hated to admit it, even to herself, she wasn't all evil.

Haku was the only one who saw. He always noticed the little things – due to a combination of training and natural ability – and this time was no different. He saw the pair of pigs disappear, and his quick mind easily put two-and-two together. He smiled slightly to himself. It was the most selfless and heartfelt thing Yubaba had ever done, and she had done it for no recognition or glory whatsoever.

Perhaps… perhaps the old witch had a heart after all.

His eyes met hers for the briefest of moments, and in that moment, a silent agreement was forged between the two.

No one was to ever know of this.


End file.
